Chapter 16 of The mill of silence is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The mill of silence is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A LETTER AND AN ANSWER. “You dog!” I said, in a low, stern voice; “tell me the meaning of this.” He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me. “What’s your question?” said he.
Chapter 16 of The mill of silence is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
open to or abounding in fresh air
From this reading “He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.”
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading ““You dog!””
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading “I said, in a low, stern voice; “tell me the meaning of this.””
abusing vocally; expressing contempt or ridicule
From this reading “He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.”
plural of “pocket” — a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading “He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.”
of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
From this reading “I said, in a low, stern voice; “tell me the meaning of this.””
a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow)
From this reading “He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.”
having wheels; often used in combination
From this reading “He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.”
In this reading “I said, in a low, stern voice; “tell me the meaning of this.””
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A LETTER AND AN ANSWER.
open to or abounding in fresh air
From this reading He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A LETTER AND AN ANSWER.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A LETTER AND AN ANSWER.
react verbally
From this reading A LETTER AND AN ANSWER.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading “You dog!”
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I said, in a low, stern voice; “tell me the meaning of this.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I said, in a low, stern voice; “tell me the meaning of this.”
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.
the sound of laughing
From this reading He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading A LETTER AND AN ANSWER.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading I said, in a low, stern voice; “tell me the meaning of this.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I said, in a low, stern voice; “tell me the meaning of this.”
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading I said, in a low, stern voice; “tell me the meaning of this.”
abusing vocally; expressing contempt or ridicule
From this reading He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I said, in a low, stern voice; “tell me the meaning of this.”
plural of “pocket” — a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “What’s your question?” said he.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said, in a low, stern voice; “tell me the meaning of this.”
of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
From this reading I said, in a low, stern voice; “tell me the meaning of this.”
express in words
From this reading I said, in a low, stern voice; “tell me the meaning of this.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I said, in a low, stern voice; “tell me the meaning of this.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I said, in a low, stern voice; “tell me the meaning of this.”
a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow)
From this reading He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading I said, in a low, stern voice; “tell me the meaning of this.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What’s your question?” said he.
having wheels; often used in combination
From this reading He gave a little, mocking, airy laugh and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, wheeled round upon me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You dog!”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What’s your question?” said he.
Chapter 16 of The mill of silence by Bernard Capes holds 170 sentences, grouped into 34 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 16 holds 170 sentences of The mill of silence, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The mill of silence by Bernard Capes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 170 sentences, grouped into 34 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 16 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in The mill of silence, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
